Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)).
In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
Meanings
(neologism, qualifier:briefly popular in 2024; otherwise rare; briefly popular in 2024; otherwise rare) Characteristic of a confident and assertive woman.
[see title] 2025 May, Austin Ulmer, Ideology Is Brat: Popular Music As Discourse in the 2024 US Presidential Election:
kamala IS brat 2024 July 21, @charli_xcx [Charli XCX], Twitter, archived from the original on 24 Jul 2024:
Kamala Harris herself was anointed as "brat" the moment that Joe Biden stepped down, but already Harris's mother – who had Indian heritage and raised Harris as a single parent – has been declared the uberbrat, more brat than even her daughter. 2024 August 26, Nesrine Malik, “'Brat' Kamala or 'dragon mother' Pelosi? This meme machine is a risky strategy in a high-stakes election”, in Katharine Viner, editor, The Guardian, London: Guardian News & Media, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2024:
Habeck later reposted fan‐made videos using slogans like “Green is brat,” demonstrating bottom‐up to top‐down incorporation. [2026, M Bösch, “TikTok Edits, Vibes, Audio Memes: Participatory Propaganda in the 2025 German Federal Election Campaign”, in Media and Communication:
Starmer's Tory predecessors Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss were identified as brat by 15 percent each of those asked. 2024 August 13, Noah Keate, “It's official: Boris Johnson is brat”, in Politico, archived from the original on 15 Aug 2024:
'[…] is brat’ was applied to a host of different entities. The latter reached its height when Charli XCX herself tweeted in July 2024 that US presidential candidate ‘kamala [Harris] IS brat' […] [2026, L. Bendfeldt, Peace is brat: NATO, digital militarism, and the absurd:
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)).
In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
Meanings
(countable, qualifier:usually negative connotation, slang, uncountable) A human child.
"So... you want to have kids someday?" "Uh... well, yes. I always figured I'd have a couple brats of my own someday..." "That's still doable, you know." "I know, but the process is a lot more complicated and less intimate, and --" 2012 March 2, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Friday, Mar 2, 2012:
(countable, derogatory, qualifier:usually negative connotation, slang, uncountable) A human child. ▸ A child who is regarded as mischievous, unruly, spoiled, or selfish.
a spoiled brat
Get that little brat away from me!
“But it was far otherwise wid the remainin' one, which was the ouldest; he was the most miserable, ugly, ill-conditioned brat that ivir God put life into: he was so ill thriven, that he was nivir able to stand alone or to lave his cradle; he had long, shaggy, matted, curly hair, as black as the sut; his face was uv a greenish yollow colour[.]” 1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 522:
He would never speak a word, - only eat and cry, and she hadn't the heart to strike it or illtreat the youngster either; but somebody taught her a charm to make him speak, and then she found out what kind of a brat he really was. 1886, Peter Christen Asbjørnsen, translated by H.L. Brækstad, Folk and Fairy Tales, page 297:
(neologism, qualifier:usually negative connotation, slang, uncountable) A human child. ▸ The qualities possessed by a confident and assertive woman.
My favorite touch is how each of her Nike shoes has its own little bow, which is just the perfect amount of brat. 2024 August 27, Brooke LaMantia, “Naomi Osaka Is Having a Brat U.S. Open”, in The Cut, archived from the original on 28 Aug 2024:
Here are the people and the styles at the DNC that embodied the brat ethos. 2024 August 23, Lauren Bulbin, Annaliese Nurnberg, “The best brat styles of DNC”, in The Washington Post, Washington, D.C.: The Washington Post Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 23 Aug 2024:
Brat is being lazy until 10 P.M., at which point you construct a château using discarded scraps of pleather, finish it by morning, and immediately win the Pritzker Architecture Prize. 2024 August 26, Lena Dunham, “A Guide to Brat Summer”, in The New Yorker, New York, N.Y.: Condé Nast Publications, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 27 Aug 2024:
(countable, qualifier:usually negative connotation, slang, uncountable) A human child. ▸ A child (at any age) of an active member of the military or the diplomatic service.
an army brat
Lt. Gen. John L. DeWitt, Commander of the Fourth Army, was an army “brat,” which means his father was an army officer. But he went into the army from Princeton, not from West Point. 1941 June 5, Gerry Dick, “They Practiced Art of War, Then They Studied It”, in Hope Star, Hope, Arkansas, page 5:
(countable, qualifier:usually negative connotation, slang, uncountable) A human child. ▸ A submissive partner who is disobedient and unruly.
(broadly, countable, derogatory, uncountable) An immature, spoiled and/or selfish person.
(countable, uncountable) A turbot or flatfish.
For the crabby awd dealers in ling, cod, and brats / And the vurgins that tempt us wi' nice maiden skyet... 1843, Thomas Wilson, The Movement^([The Pitman's Pay: And Other Poems]):
(countable, historical, uncountable) A rough cloak or ragged garment.
The chief's daughter wears a brat and léine girdled with a criss. 1961, Audrey I. Barfoot, Everyday costume in Britain: from the earliest times to 1900, page 80:
Women wore loose, flowing, ankle-length robes modelled on 11th-century European fashion (derived from what O'Neill called the léine) and, perhaps, a brat over these. 2006, Celtic Culture: A-Celti, →ISBN, page 1272:
The prevailing style of dress in the early medieval period comprised a léine (tunic) worn under a brat (cloak). 2005, Seán Duffy, Medieval Ireland: An Encyclopedia, →ISBN, page 156:
(Scotland, UK, countable, dialectal, obsolete, uncountable) A coarse kind of apron for keeping the clothes clean; a bib.
[She] had still on the rough worsted apron of nappy homespun wool, called a "brat". 1882, John Strathesk, “pp. 135”, in Blinkbonny^([The English Dialect Dictionary... brat]):
(countable, obsolete, uncountable) The young of an animal.
They are your Will-Worship-men, your Prelates Brats: Take the whole Litter of’um, and you’ll finde never a barrel better Herring. 1680, Roger L'Estrange, Citt and Bumpkin:
Their ſhoulders broad, for complet armour fit,
Their lims more large and of a bigger ſize
Than all the brats yſprong from Typhons loins: c. 1587–1588 (date written), [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. […] The First Part […], 2nd edition, part 1, London: […] [R. Robinson for] Richard Iones, […], published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire; London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act III, scene iii:
it moccioso (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pt pirralho (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gd droch isean (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gsw Blag (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pt pirralha (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ca marrec (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru ребёнок (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru сопля́чка (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru девчо́нка (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · wyi nilimjak (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cmn 臭小孩兒 /小孩儿 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · tr velet (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · eo knabaĉo (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · nl (verwend) nest (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ro plod (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · sh derište (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pdt Brech (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · yue 塞豆窿 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · da møgunge (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · mi kapewhiti (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es mal comportado (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pt mimado (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · it monello (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru сопля́к (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cmn 小子 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · yue 豆釘 /豆钉 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ro odraslă (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr peste (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · yi מזיק (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es malcriado (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es malportado (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru него́дница (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es jovenete (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ca ganàpia (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ro copil (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · mk де́тиште (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr mal élevé (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru парши́вец (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cs spratek (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr garnement (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pl bachor (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · de Göre (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cmn 小淘氣 /小淘气 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ko 애새끼 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru мальчи́шка (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr morveux (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · no snørrunge (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cs fakan (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es mocoso (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gd peasan (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ja 餓鬼 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · de Balg (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · nrf marmot (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · el τσογλάνι (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · th เด็กแสบ (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru него́дник (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr sale gosse (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gl mocoso (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr mal élevée (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pl bękart (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru парши́вка (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cmn 小屁孩 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es mimado (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · he מַזִּיק (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · sh дериште (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fi kakara (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru отро́дье (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · eo bubaĉo (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ga dailtín (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gd uilleagan (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cmn 臭小孩儿 (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · yi תּכשיט (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · sv snorunge (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gl mocosa (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru молокосо́с (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · th เด็กเวร (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · de Gör (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · te గుంట (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fi penska (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · da unge (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fr morveuse (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ja ちび (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · fo óargaungi (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · gl fedello (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · es niñato (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ro puști (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · th เด็กเปรต (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · el παλιόπαιδο (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · eo knabinaĉo (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · cs fracek (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · pdt Baulch (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · no (bortskjemt) drittunge (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · el κωλόπαιδο (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ru молокосо́ска (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child) · ro vlăstar (a selfish, spoiled, or unruly child)
Early Modern English (c. 1500) slang term meaning "beggar's child". Possibly from Scots bratchet (“bitch, hound”), in which case it would be a doublet of brachet. Another possibility is that it was originally a dialectal word, from northern and western England and the Midlands, for a "makeshift or ragged garment," from Old English bratt (“cloak”), which is from a Celtic source (Old Irish brat (“cloak, cloth”)).
In the sense "characteristic of a confident and assertive woman", coined by English singer and songwriter Charli XCX in her 2024 album Brat, though occasional earlier uses of the word with a "reclaimed" or ironic, positive connotation existed, including in LGBTQ slang for people of certain femme or feminine-leaning personalities.
Meanings
(intransitive) To act in a bratty manner as the submissive.
Ruthie was Ed's own submissive, a short, pretty, feisty ash-blonde New York City native who combined her submission to Ed with a good deal of mischievous bratting and a lot of sharp, intelligent conversation […] 2021, Ardie Stallard, Switch: A Tale of Spanking, BDSM & Romance:
Rather, Ana moves between playful bratting and a type of “conquer me” wantedness that good Dominants would respond to with increased control and correction. 2020, Jessica M. Kratzer, Communication in Kink, page 43:
There are many people loitering, eating ice cream, talking, eating brats. 2020, Brandon Taylor, Real Life, Daunt Books Originals, page 267:
What’s the can’t-miss food? / Brat or sausage. […] — Tom G. 2024 September 1, Matt Schneidman, The Athletic Staff, “Lambeau Field guide: What to know about the Green Bay Packers’ home stadium”, in The Athletic, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 01 Sep 2024:
Forms
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Source
brats
Number=Plur
lexicographic
brat en · NOUN · etymology 3
Meanings
A thin bed of coal mixed with pyrites or carbonate of lime.